DEFENCE

Battle and Theatre Honours

Adam Ingram: Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the Battle Honours to ships and squadrons of Her Majesty's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, for their participation in the major combat phase of Operation TELIC during the period 19 March to 30 April 2003.
	The following RN ships and naval air squadrons have been awarded the Battle Honour "ALFAW 2003":
	
		
			  
		
		
			 HMS OCEAN HMS SANDOWN 
			 HMS ARK ROYAL HMS LEDBURY 
			 HMS BLYTH HMS ROEBUCK 
			 HMS BROCKLESBY No 845 Naval Air Squadron 
			 HMS BANGOR No 847 Naval Air Squadron 
		
	
	RAF squadrons which were required to operate under constant threat of attack and had demonstrated gallantry and spirit under fire during the campaign over Iraq and Kuwait or on the ground in the same territories have been awarded the Battle Honour "IRAQ 2003" with the right to emblazon the honour on their standards. Other squadrons which participated in the air and ground campaigns, albeit at a slightly lower level of danger, have been awarded the honour "IRAQ 2003" without the right to emblazon the honour on their standards. The RAF awards are as follows:
	With the right to emblazon "IRAQ 2003" on squadron standards:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 No 1 (Fighter) Squadron RAF No 12 (Bomber) Squadron RAF 
			 No II (Army Co-operation) Squadron RAF No 31 Squadron RAF 
			 No 3 Squadron RAF No 47 Squadron RAF 
			 No IV (Army Co-operation) Squadron RAF No 617 Squadron RAF 
			 No 7 Squadron RAF No 51 Squadron RAF Regiment 
			 No IX (Bomber) Squadron RAF  
		
	
	Without the right to emblazonment:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 No 8 Squadron RAF No 120 Squadron RAF 
			 No 10 Squadron RAF No 201 Squadron RAF 
			 No 18 (Bomber) Squadron RAF No 206 Squadron RAF 
			 No 23 Squadron RAF No 216 Squadron RAF 
			 No 33 Squadron RAF No 1 Squadron RAF Regiment 
			 No 39 Squadron RAF No II Squadron RAF Regiment 
			 No 43 (Fighter) Squadron RAF No 16 Squadron RAF Regiment 
			 No 51 Squadron RAF No 27 Squadron RAF Regiment 
			 No 101 Squadron RAF No 34 Squadron RAF Regiment 
			 No 111 (Fighter) Squadron RAF  
		
	
	Her Majesty has also approved the award of the Battle Honours "Al Basrah" and "Western Iraq 2003" and the Theatre Honour "Iraq 2003" to Army units which participated in Operation TELIC. Specifically the Queen has approved the award of the Battle Honour "Al Basrah" and the Theatre Honour "Iraq 2003" to the Irish Guards who participated in Operation TELIC during the period 19 March to 30 April 2003. The Irish Guards are being awarded these honours ahead of other Army units to enable them to display the Theatre Honour "Iraq 2003" on their colour on the Queen's birthday parade on 11 June 2005. They are unlikely to troop their colour again for another seven or eight years. Other Army units who served on TELIC during this period are being invited to apply for the award of these honours. Once all applications are ratified, details of the other units to receive the awards will be notified to Parliament by means of a separate written ministerial statement.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Mineral and Landfill Waste Permissions

Yvette Cooper: I have today issued a consultation document, Mineral Planning Authority Monitoring of Mineral and Landfill Permissions. This seeks comments on the proposed scope and content of a new fee regime in England for the monitoring and enforcement of minerals and landfill waste permissions by mineral and waste planning authorities, with a view to preparing regulations bringing a regime into operation on 6 April 2006.
	The 1998 comprehensive spending review included a commitment to empower mineral and waste planning authorities to recover the costs of monitoring and enforcing planning conditions for minerals and landfill sites. The commitment acknowledged that the fees for applications for permission for mineral working and landfill do not cover the necessary long-term monitoring and enforcement commitment for these land uses, which is not required for other types of development. For minerals in particular, given the essentially physical processes involved, the sometimes technical and complex planning conditions are the primary form of environmental regulation during the process of implementing permissions, which can extend over very long periods. They are also important, alongside the pollution control regime, at landfills. The widening of the scope of local authorities' powers to charge fees in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 now enables us to move ahead on this long standing commitment.
	Initial research in 2000, followed by consultation in autumn 2001, secured a good deal of agreement on the scope and content of a fees regime but left questions about the validity of the estimated costs to authorities of monitoring. In 2004, further research validated authorities' costs and made various recommendations about the form of a regime. We believe that we should now re-consult on the proposed regime in view of the time which has elapsed since the first consultation in 2001, because of the delay in securing enabling powers in primary legislation. Re-consultation provides an opportunity to report back to stakeholders on the comments received then, to report the findings of the further research in 2004, and to propose a regime which takes account of all the research and the earlier consultation comments.
	We are proposing that fees will be charged for the monitoring of all mineral extraction sites, all landfill sites and all other waste activities located on a mineral extraction and/or landfill site which are an integral part of the operation of the site. We propose a regime based initially on an annual schedule of visits, ultimately determined by the authority and a standard fee per site visit which would be set and applied nationally.
	The consultation document estimates that the total amount of fees which might be charged under the proposed regime is £2.7 million per annum, based on a best practice approach to monitoring. We believe that this additional revenue is necessary to ensure that mineral and waste planning authorities are adequately funded for this important long-term environmental protection work, given the potential impacts on amenity of mineral extraction and landfill.
	Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The document is also available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at www.odpm.gov.uk/.
	The consultation period ends on 1 September 2005.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Partners for Water and Sanitation

Elliot Morley: I am delighted to welcome the third annual report from Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS). As one of the leading UK partnerships, PAWS is proof that the tri-sector partnership approach can deliver tangible results towards achieving the millennium development goals.
	PAWS provides a platform where partners from Government, civil society and business can work together with people in Africa to develop sustainable solutions in the delivery of water and sanitation services. The annual report documents partnership work in 2004, and outlines how PAWS will significantly increase its activities in 2005.
	In support of this expansion, an impressive effort has been invested in the management of the partnership over the past year, and this is reflected in the content and style of the annual report.
	With this solid foundation in place, I am confident that the partnership will continue to grow and offer even more support to those who need it most.
	Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Oversight Commissioner's Report

Shaun Woodward: I have today laid before this House a copy of the oversight commissioner's first statutory report for the year 2005 which is being published today, in accordance with section 68(4)(a) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000.
	This is the fourth report compiled by Al Hutchinson as oversight commissioner and the thirteenth in the series of oversight reports published since 2001.
	The Secretary of State and I welcomed the opportunity earlier this week to discuss the contents of the report with the oversight commissioner.

TRANSPORT

Consultation on Night Flying Restrictions

Karen Buck: On 21 July 2004, my predecessor responsible for aviation, the hon. Member for Harrow East, (Mr. McNulty), launched stage one of a two stage consultation process about setting the night restrictions regime at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted for the future.
	We shall be publishing at 10 am tomorrow the consultation paper on stage two. It was not possible to publish the second stage consultation paper in time to enable us to have a new regime in place by 30 October this year. Our second stage consultation on the new regime is important. The proposals take account of the responses to stage one. We shall welcome responses on the stage two proposals from any interested person or organisation. In order to allow time for the consultation process and analysis of responses, the present night restrictions regime will continue for a further year from 30 October 2005 until 29 October 2006. During that year we propose that the current regime should continue unchanged. The consultation document will then set out the proposed night restrictions regime to apply to the end of the summer season 2012.
	Interested parties will have 14 weeks to comment on the consultation, with the closing date being 16 September.
	Copies of the consultation document will be placed in the Library of the House and on the internet at www.aviation.dft.gov.uk/. I am also placing in the House Library, and at the same web address a summary of the responses to the stage one consultation. Copies of all the responses, except where the author has requested confidentiality, are available for six months for inspection by prior appointment at the DfT Library and Information Centre, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE.
	The stage two consultation document will be sent to all consultees and copies will be available on request from:
	Department for Transport
	Aviation Environmental Division
	Zone 1/34
	Great Minster House
	76 Marsham Street
	London SW1P 4DR.
	I look forward to hearing what people have to say on this important issue.

WORK AND PENSIONS

National Pensions Debate

David Blunkett: On 24 February the Government published "Principles for Reform: The National Pensions Debate". This set out our guiding principles on which further work would be taken forward.
	In publishing this document, the Government committed Ministers to engaging with the wider public, key stakeholders and others, in seeking to build a consensus for a long-term solution to the issue of adequate provision of income in retirement.
	We and the Pensions Commission saw the importance of not rushing into immediate conclusions but instead, ensuring that we took people into our confidence and provided the information necessary for men and women to be able to make their own contribution to the debate.
	One of the key principles laid out was that we should move towards as broad an agreement as possible. This is only feasible if, across the country, the debate is taking place on the basis of the necessary challenges being understood and the potential solutions laid out in an accessible and understandable form.
	It is therefore imperative that the people who are ultimately affected—of whatever age—should be at the centre of the dialogue.
	That is why, in the promise to listen, to share our problem, and to share ownership of the solutions, we have committed Ministers to engage across the country in stimulating that debate, which will enable us to develop such a national consensus, across political parties and a broader swathe of the British people.
	The National Pensions Debate will therefore engage Ministers and others in structured events in which we'll ask all sections of the media to facilitate the programme of information, starting today in East London and moving across the regions in the weeks and months ahead.
	We will endeavour to ensure that the widest possible dialogue takes place prior to the publication of the Pensions Commission report at the end of the year.